The
future of Ireland's vital natural resources depends upon an
awareness by the public of fisheries environmental and
conservation issues. The Board seeks to address this through
awareness seminars and campaigns and the education of the young and not so
young in the region.
In addition the Board recognises the importance of angling as a
recreational activity and actively encourages the sport. We organise and run many angling
tuition workshops covering topics and activities such as rod
handling skills, fly tying, environmental field studies including classroom talks and presentations.
Upcoming programmes will be posted in this section from time to time
- Watch this space.
The crucial need to protect and
restore Ireland’s rivers and lakes from the ravages caused by a
booming economy were underlined at a highly successful seminar
organised by the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board in Limerick on
September 23.
The seminar, “The River Shannon
Waters – Working together for the Future”, brought together a panel
of top level speakers from at home and abroad to discuss actions
that need to be taken to ensure good quality waterways and water
animal, fish and plant life.
The event attracted an attendance
of over one hundred people from all over the country who are making
their own input into protecting and improving fisheries and the
environment.
Mr John Browne, Minister of State
for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, pointed out that
the Shannon was the country’s largest river and drained 14,700
square kilometres. He said he was pleased to see all the work being
done by agencies to roll out the EU Water Framework Directive. A
substantial amount of work had to be done if Ireland was to maintain
and improve on water quality, but the Government was committed to
meeting the targets set in the Directive by 2015.
In Photo: Left to right Mr
John Browne, Minister of State for Communications, Marine and
Natural Resources and Mr Eamon Cusack CEO Shannon Regional Fisheries
Board
The Minister revealed that the
long awaited review of inland fisheries was virtually complete. He
expected a package under the Nitrates Directive to be finalised for
Ireland by the end of the year. A balance would have to be struck to
ensure that farmers were not put out of business.
Tom Enright, Environment
Director of Limerick County Council said Limerick, Clare and
Roscommon County Councils were the lead authorities in implementing
the Shannon River Basin Project. This was aimed at ensuring that the
catchment achieved the targets set out in the Directive.
Dr Alan Barr, of the Shannon
River Basin Management Group, said 75 million euro had been spent to
date on upgrading 18 wastewater treatment plants in towns in the
Lough Derg and Lough Ree catchments, with consequent benefits for
water quality. However, many plants continued to have excessive
discharges into waters.
A major source of phosphate
inflows into the catchment had been virtually switched off due to
the a voluntary agreement made in December 1999 between the
Government and detergent manufacturers that all phosphates in
detergents would be phased out. As a result of this initiative, 90
per cent of detergents were now phosphate free.
County Councils in Cavan, North
Tipperary, Westmeath and Offaly had adopted Agricultural Bye-Laws
aimed at tackling the run-off of slurry into rivers and streams. In
most cases, the result of all these initiatives had been improved
river water quality, with a significant improvement in the water
quality of the Shannon.
Water quality in both Lough Derg
and Lough Ree were now classed as mesotrophic (satisfactory), but
phosphorous levels were still elevated. The arrival of the Zebra
Mussel had a significant bearing on reducing the impacts of
eutrophication in the lakes. However, new ecological classification
tools were being devised to ascertain the exact impact of this
exotic shellfish on water quality. These tools should be ready for
testing in 2006 and would provide a better indication of the health
of lakes with zebra mussels. At present there was a weakness in the
testing system.
The task now was to build on the
benefits gained in implementing the Lough Derg Lough Ree Management
Catchment Strategy through the Shannon River Basin Project. If
Ireland failed to prove that it was achieving better quality water
through implementation of this project it would be threatened with
infraction procedures by the European Commission.
Michael Fitzsimons, Senior
Fisheries Environmental Officer with the Shannon Regional Fisheries
Board, said a number of fish species in the River Shannon catchment
had been decimated by pollution. Most of the pollution was caused by
the agriculture sector, he said.
Populations of pollen, Arctic
char, the “Croneen” trout and smelt had been decimated by poor water
quality.
Mr Fitzsimons said a thriving
population of pollen, a fish unique to four Irish lakes, and in
existence since the Ice Age, was now estimated to be down to five
per cent of its original numbers in both Lough Derg and Lough Ree.
Arctic char had vanished from
seven lakes in the Shannon catchment, from both Lough Ennell and
Owel, and five lakes in Co Clare: Loughs Inchiquin, Licken, Finloe,
Gortglass and Clonsneachta.
Numbers of “croneen” trout, a
fish with a unique genetic imprint only found in Lough Derg and its
tributaries, were now severely restricted in three of the four
spawning rivers were they once abounded.
The only remaining waterway where
the Croneen spawned in large numbers was the Camcor River in Birr.
The river needed to be designated for special protection to ensure
the preservation of this unique trout species.
The Shannon Estuary once held the
country’s largest population of spelt, also known as “the poor man’s
herring”. But “a massive loss of population” had occurred after an
estimated 10,000 died in a fish kill near Limerick city five years
ago. “It used to take the entire population two weeks to spawn. Now
it only takes a single day.”
“If we do not take action soon
fish like the pollen will definitely disappear, and the Croneen
after that. We are talking about an ecosystem that is fragile and we
have changed the water environment so much that it is becoming even
more fragile. These fish have been breeding in clean water for
millions of years, but in the last forty years this situation has
changed so much that the fish cannot adapt.”
Mr Fitzsimons said huge strides
had been made to tackle pollution of the Shannon and its
tributaries. “But we are after taking our foot off the pedal. We
still have continued eutrophication with loss of fish habitat,
mainly as a result of poorly managed farmyards. We still have a lot
of slurry spreading beside waters.”
He called for more education on
water protection for farmers and said those participating in the
Rural Environment Protection Scheme who break the pollution laws
should be expelled from the scheme. Local authorities needed to
introduce stronger enforcement of anti-pollution laws.
New road building projects,
excessive water abstraction, inefficient septic tanks, forestry and
silt and peat erosion were contributing to the decimation of
spawning grounds on rivers and streams.
Karen Griffin, Assistant
Inspector with the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board, underlined the
importance of having a partnership approach to fishery development.
This approach had been taken on the River Hind in Roscommon which
suffered a drop in angler numbers due to pollution and poor catches.
The river had been reduced to a weedy channel until a partnership
approach was taken to put in weirs, which put oxygen back in the
water and created holding pools for spawning fish. Bank
stabilisation was carried out to stop livestock knocking silt into
the water.
All the work had resulted in a
four fold increase in fish numbers, and membership in the local
angling club increased and attracted more angling tourists to the
area. The expert fly fisher Peter O’ Reilly to teach local anglers
the art of fly fishing and an open day attracted a lot of juvenile
anglers who wanted to learn to fish. The move had also helped boost
fish stock in Lough Ree and local people were now proud of the river
as an amenity.
Rebecca Audsley, Project Officer
in Water Resource Management at the Scottish Agricultural College,
briefed the attendance on a four-point plan implemented in Scotland
to reduce diffuse pollution from the farming sector. The plan
focussed on better and more cost effective nutrient use; risk
assessment for manure and slurry on each farm and managing water
margins. Full details of how the plan works are available from
Rebecca whose e-mail is:
rebecca.audsley@sac.co.uk
Mark Smith, Director of
Biodiversity, the world wide organisation, Nature Conservancy, based
in Boston, gave details of a how a Government led catchment strategy
adopted in the state of Massachusetts had led to much better water
quality in the state’s waterways. He stressed the importance of
sitting down with farmers, planners and industrialists to explore
issues of mutual benefit from water protection initiatives. The
benefits of this partnership approach in an Irish context was echoed
by Department of Environment official John Sadlier, the man leading
the department’s efforts to meet the requirements of the Water
Framework Directive, who chaired one of the morning sessions at the
seminar.
Eamon Ross, Secretary of the
Lough Sheelin Trout Protection Association, and Chairman of the
Ulster branch of the Irish Trout Fly Fishers Association, said
Lough Sheelin had suffered terribly from the huge increase in the
surrounding pig industry since the mid-1970s. Increased phosphate
inflows sparked algal blooms which made the lake look like a lawn in
summer time. Sunlight could no longer penetrate to the bottom of the
lake, rendering it an ecological desert. Laws to protect the lake
and Agricultural Bye-Laws introduced by Cavan County Council were
inadequate and were not being properly implemented. Planning policy
was a major difficult as developers of pig units built without
planning permission had been successful when they sought retention
of the facilities.
An enormous amount of data had
been compiled on the problem over the last three decades, but little
difference had been made to the water quality. The farming
organisations were blind to the problem. Only for a stream
rehabilitation programme, spearheaed by the Shannon Regional
Fisheries Board in the mid-80s, the lake would now be “dead and
buried”. Putting a deadline of 2015 to restore the waters of the
lake to satisfactory status was too little too late to save the
waterway.
Paddy Mackey, Secretary of the
Save Our Lough Derg Group and North Tipperary branch of An Taisce,
said there were ways that non-government organisations could make
a real contribution to protecting and improving water quality in the
Shannon Catchment. A “Riverlinks” project, spearheaded by An Taisce
in North Tipperary, involved the erection of signs on roadways
beside rivers to highlight a Lough Derg catchment management
approach to water protection.
Information leaflets on the
catchment strategy were distributed to thousands of households in
the catchment, giving hints on how households could play their part
in the strategy. Information cards were placed in lakeside hotels
and guesthouses aimed at getting visitors to reduce phosphate
detergent use. School children were brought on field trips of the
Nenagh River to introduce them to the flora and fauna of the river
and to educate them on the need to protect the amenity. An open day
at the Nenagh Regional Water Supply Scheme and an information
seminar on Lough Derg were held to mark Water Heritage Day.
Dr Simon Berrow of the Shannon
Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation revealed that tests carried out by
the foundation on the dolphin population in the Shannon Estuary
showed up traces of chemicals in their blubber. He warned that this
contamination, resulting from pollution, could pose health risks for
the mammals. There were only poor indications on the status of the
flora and fauna of the estuary and these were not adequate to make
informed decisions. Research funds were badly needed to build a
knowledge base on the state of animal, fish and plant life in the
estuary.
Frank Corcoran, the Chariman of
An Taisce, said preventing damage to rivers and lakes was a much
cheaper option than clean-up operations that had to be undertaken
due to neglect. Taxpayers would soon discover this, due to the
State’s commitments under the Water Framework Directive to tackle
the damage done to waterways.
An Taisce’s policy was to object
to developments that it felt would have an impact on water quality
in the Shannon Catchment. The agency operated the Blue Flag scheme
to encourage high quality beaches on rivers and seaside areas.
Ballycuggeran in Killaloe and Mountshannon, which are both on Lough
Derg, had Blue Flag status. An Taisce also spearheaded the Green
Schools project, which, among others issues, highlighted the need
for water conservation and water quality. He called on the tourism
promotion agency, Failte Ireland, to adopt the An Taisce approach of
objecting to planned developments that had a potential to impact on
water quality. This, he said, would be an effective way of
contributing to tourism promotion.
Barry Kehoe, Acting Environment
Director with Westmeath County Council, said limited resources for
councils in the Shannon Catchment had a knock-on affect on the
ability of local authorities to properly enforce pollution laws.
Elected members of council had to deal with different requests from
sectors like farmers and environmentalists. He would like to see
bye-laws introduced in Westmeath to control septic tanks, but the
introduction of such laws was the reserve function of the elected
members who, along with the general public, had to be convinced
that the measure would be worth it in terms of improving water
quality. Westmeath was looking at a situation where every town and
village would have a wastewater treatment facility, but it was vital
that the resources be provided so that all these facilities would be
properly maintained. As a result of financial constraints imposed by
central government the council had been forced to let go people
working in its environment section.
In Photo: Left to right
Mr Trevor Champ Central Fisheries Board
and Liam Cashman,
Legal Unit, EU Commission
Liam Cashman the Legal Unit in
the EU Commission said members states could be made answerable in
the EU Court of Justice if they failed to implement the Water
Framework Directive. Proper functioning of septic tanks was being
raised under Waste legislation at EU level. There was current EU
instruments other that the Water Framework Directive, such as the
Habitat Directive, that could be used against member states to
ensure protection of river zones. Under the Directive itself,
targets in relation to improving water quality had to be achieved on
an ongoing basis up to 2015.
Something that Ireland needed to
consider and “worry about” was if the quality of water in lakes and
rivers has being correctly categorised. In Ireland reliance on
chlorophyll levels to test water quality in lakes was giving a
falsely optimistic picture.
One concern the Commission would
have would be whether the Irish government was giving local
authorities the proper resources to implement the terms of the Water
Framework Directive. Member states could not blame their local
authorities for non-implementation of measures like water
protection. It was the state that was answerable to the Commission.
Dr Alex Dubgaard of the
Department of Economics and Natural Resources from the Royal
Veterinary and Agriculture University in Denmark, gave an
interesting talk on the economic value of the environment and
Darragh Lynott Director of the EPAs Office of Environmental
Enforcement briefed the attendance on the role of his office in
improving compliance with environmental legislation.
In wrapping up the eight hour
seminar, Eamon Cusack, the Chief Executive Officer of the Shannon
Regional Fisheries Board, said the board had a strong commitment to
protecting and improving water habitat and water quality. It was
important to put a high value on the environment, which was an
integral part of life itself.
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